Apparatus and method using radio signals

ABSTRACT

A method of using radio signals transmitted for reception by mobile user equipment that includes receiving, with mobile user equipment (UE), radio signals having at least one format; monitoring, with the mobile user equipment, at least one property of the received radio signals; identifying a pattern in said monitored property or properties; and in response to identifying said pattern, triggering at least one action according to the identified pattern, and/or providing the UE with an indication of a location of the UE based at least part of the identified pattern.

PRIORITY

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/397,701 which was filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office onMar. 4, 2009 and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to anapplication entitled “Apparatus and Method Using Radio Signals” filed inthe United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office on Mar. 4, 2008 andassigned Serial No. 0804013.1, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of using radio signalstransmitted for reception by mobile user equipment and to systems andapparatus implementing or using such a method.

2. Background to the Invention

A wide variety of electronic mobile user equipment is known forreceiving radio signals for a wide variety of purposes. Such mobile UserEquipment (UE) includes mobile phones (which may also be referred to ascell phones or handsets), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), GlobalNavigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, and other equipment. Itwill be appreciated that in addition to being able to receive one ormore formats of transmitted radio signals, certain examples of known UEsare also able to transmit radio signals. This is of course the case withmobile phones for use in a telecommunication system. Similarly, devicessuch as PDAs are able to transmit radio signals in order to exchangedata with other equipment. Also, in addition to dedicated GNSSreceivers, GNSS receiver functionality can also be incorporated inmobile user equipment having other functions, for example a mobile phonehaving the capability to determine its location using GNSS signals. Itis also known for user equipment to be able to receive and process radiosignals of different formats from a corresponding plurality oftransmitters arranged at terrestrial locations. For example, it is knownfor a mobile handset to be able to receive and send mobile telephonesignals in Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and/orUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or UMTS TerrestrialRadio Access Network (UTRAN) systems, in addition to being able to sendand receive Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signals for shorter rangecommunication.

Such user equipment can also provide an alarm function. However, thisalarm function is typically arranged such that the alarm is triggeredaccording to time only (that is, the alarm will be triggered at the settime, irrespective of where the user equipment is located or what theuser of the equipment is doing or has been doing).

In the case of user equipment with the ability to determine its locationfrom GNSS signals, a known problem is that in certain locations theavailability of such signals is restricted (and indeed no such signalsmay be available) and then the device is unable to continue determiningits location.

It is also known for users to be able to manually change or update theprofile or configuration of their mobile user equipment.

Certain embodiments of the present invention aim to provide improvedmethods of using radio signals transmitted for reception by mobile userequipment, and improved apparatus and improved user equipment. Certainembodiments aim to provide methods and apparatus which overcome, atleast partially, one or more of the problems or disadvantages associatedwith the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of using radio signals transmitted for reception by mobile userequipment, the method includes receiving, with mobile user equipment,radio signals having at least one format; monitoring, with the mobileuser equipment, at least one property of the received radio signals;identifying a pattern in said monitored property or properties; and inresponse to identifying said pattern, performing at least one oftriggering at least one action according to the identified pattern; andproviding with the UE an indication of a location of the UE based atleast in part on the identified pattern.

Thus, in this method radio signals intended for reception are used bymobile user equipment in new ways, i.e. for additional purposes. Forexample, the radio signals being received by the user equipment may betelecommunications signals in GSM, UMTS, UTRAN, or Evolved-UTRAN(E-UTRAN) systems and will typically include information relating toaudio or data content. The user equipment will typically be adapted toprocess these received signals in the usual way for the normal purposes,but additionally may monitor and respond to observed patterns in someproperty of the received signals, such as the received signal strength.For example, a sudden or abrupt reduction in received signal strengthmay correspond to the user equipment being taken inside a building. Themethod may be arranged to identify this pattern (i.e. change) andtrigger some action in accordance with the change. For example, the UEmay be arranged to turn off or power down its GPS receiver when it seesa sharp drop in GSM phone signal strength indicative of entry into abuilding. In certain embodiments the user equipment is adapted toreceive a plurality of radio signals in plurality of formats. Generally,the method is able to monitor parameters of those received signals andfrom those observed patterns derive information (such as locationinformation).

In certain embodiments the received radio signals include radio signalstransmitted from at least one transmitter located at a terrestriallocation. In certain embodiments these radio signals include radiosignals transmitted from a plurality of terrestrial transmitters inplurality of signal formats.

Additionally, the received radio signals may include signals transmittedfrom at least one Space Vehicle (SV). Thus, in examples where the userequipment is adapted to receive GPS signals, the UE can process thereceived signals in the usual way to determine its location, butadditionally, by monitoring properties of the GPS signals (for examplereceived signal strength) and identifying patterns in those measuredproperties, the UE or some other apparatus interacting with the UE canderive further information for use in location determination or forother purposes.

In certain embodiments the pattern includes at least one of a temporalpattern, a chronological pattern, a static pattern, an instantaneouspattern, and a dynamic pattern. Thus, the pattern can includecombinations of measured properties of a plurality of different receivedradio signals at a particular time or location and/or may includepatterns of changes in measured properties over time. For example, aparticular combination of received signal strengths may form part of apattern which indicates a user of the user equipment is at, or close to,home. The pattern may also include an abrupt change in signal strengthof one type of received signal. When that combination of signalstrengths is observed together with an abrupt drop in signal strength ofanother signal, such as a GPS signal, this can be used as an indicationthat the user is not just at or close to home but has actually enteredtheir house. Similarly, when the combination of received signalstrengths is observed together with a sudden increase in strength to theGPS signal this can be used as an indication that the user has juststepped out of their house. Clearly, there are a wide variety of ways inwhich the embodiments of the invention can monitor patterns inproperties of received signals and use those patterns as indications oflocation and/or movement.

Thus, in certain embodiments the pattern being identified includes achange in at least one monitored property of at least one received radiosignal.

Additionally, the pattern may include an instantaneous combination ofmonitored properties of a plurality of different received radio signals(i.e. in different formats, such as GSM, GPS, WLAN, etc).

In certain embodiments the at least one property can include a BLockError Rate (BLER), a Bit Error Rate (BER), a Received Signal StrengthIndicator (RSSI), a Common Pilot CHannel Received Signal Code Power(CPICH RSCP), and/or an SV power.

In certain embodiments the method further includes monitoring, using themobile user equipment, information contained in the received radiosignals. This information may be used in conjunction with theinformation derived from observing patterns in monitored parameters toprovide improved location determination and/or other functionality.

In embodiments in which the user equipment is used to monitorinformation contained in the received radio signals, the pattern beingidentified (i.e. being looked for) may also include one or more patternsin the contained information, together with one or more patterns in themonitored signal parameters. For example, the user equipment may bearranged to receive mobile telephone signals and at certain locationswill be able to receive those radio signals from a correspondingplurality of base stations. The signal from each base station mayinclude information indicative of the identity of that base station.Thus, the user equipment may, in addition to being able to monitorreceived signal strengths, look at the information contained in thereceived signals and identify from which combination of base stationsthe user equipment is receiving signals from at that location. Aparticular combination of base stations may correspond to a particularlocation, such as the user's home or workplace. Thus, the method canderive some location information from the information contained in thereceived radio signals. Additionally, the user equipment may look for apattern of change in a measured parameter (such as a rapid or abruptchange in the received strength of a GPS signal) which, together withthe combination of base stations at a particular location, is able toindicate whether the user is arriving at or leaving home or work.

In certain embodiments, the information includes a neighboring cellIDentifier (ID) list, a base station identity code, a Subscriber TrunkDialing (STD) code or region or area code, a service set identifier, atime and/or a date, a GPS day of week, and/or a multipath indication.

In certain embodiments the identifying step includes processing theresults of the monitoring into a particular data format, and thencomparing the results in that format with data stored in a memory.Additionally, the method may further include using the results(processed into the particular format) to update the stored data. Thus,the system may be able to identify and “learn from” patterns observedfrom monitoring signal parameters (and the information they contain).

In certain embodiments the at least one action triggered (i.e. carriedout) in response to identifying a particular pattern includes providing(from the mobile user equipment) a signal for a user of the equipment,changing a configuration of the user equipment or external apparatus,switching the user equipment between one operational mode and another,and/or switching an apparatus external to the user equipment between oneoperational mode and another. Other actions may of course be performedin alternative methods embodying the invention.

An example of a signal which the mobile user equipment may provide to auser is an alarm signal. Others include a reminder signal, a locationsignal, an audible signal and a visual signal. Thus it will beappreciated that certain embodiments of the invention may identify(recognize) a particular pattern involving parameters of radio signalsreceived by the user equipment as a person carries that equipmentaround, and according to that observed pattern can provide a usefulsignal such as an alarm or a reminder. In contrast to alarm signals orreminders provided by prior art systems, which in general could onlyissue a reminder or alarm at a particular set time, irrespective ofwhere the user was, embodiments of the invention are thus able to usethe observed patterns to provide a more sophisticated alarm or reminderfunctionality.

As mentioned above, embodiments of the invention may be arranged to spotwhen a user leaves home with the user equipment (by appropriatemonitoring of radio signal parameters) and issue a reminder signal, forexample, to the user regarding something he or she should do on the wayto work. Thus, the reminder can be issued at a truly appropriate time,rather than simply at a notional set time at which the user expects tobe leaving for work.

An example of switching the user equipment between one operational modeand another is where the user equipment comprises a GPS or other GNSSreceiver and in one operational mode this receiver is operated at afirst level of power consumption, and in the other operational mode itis operated at a reduced power level (or even switched off entirely).Thus, in certain embodiments of the invention observed patterns insignal properties could be used to save power by at least partiallyswitching off a GPS receiver when the observed patterns are indicativeof the user being in a location where location determination from GNSSsignals will not be possible.

An example of switching an external apparatus from one operational modeto another is where an observed pattern is used to switch on anapparatus only when it indicates that a user has entered a particularenvironment, such as switching on a television or other display unit orswitching on lights when a user arrives at his or her of or home.Another example would be where user equipment in the form of a mobilephone is arranged to hand over its display function to a television whena user arrives at work or home.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is providedapparatus (which may also be described as a system) that includes mobileUser Equipment (UE) arranged to receive radio signals having at leastone format and includes monitoring means arranged to monitor at leastone property of the received radio signals; pattern identification meansarranged to identify a pattern in said monitored property or properties;and response means arranged to perform, in response to the patternidentification means identifying said pattern, triggering at least oneaction according to the identified pattern; and/or providing the UE anindication of a location of the UE based at least in part on theidentified pattern.

In certain embodiments the UE is arranged to receive radio signalstransmitted from at least one transmitter located at a terrestriallocation. Additionally, the UE may be arranged to receive radio signalstransmitted from at least one Space Vehicle (SV).

In certain embodiments, the pattern being identified or recognizedincludes a temporal pattern, a chronological pattern, a static pattern,an instantaneous pattern, and/or a dynamic pattern.

For example, in certain embodiments a pattern which may be recognizedincludes a change in at least one monitored property of at least onereceived radio signal. Additionally, the pattern may include aninstantaneous combination of monitored properties of a plurality ofdifferent received radio signals.

In certain embodiments the at least one property includes a receivedsignal strength or power of a received radio signal.

In certain embodiments the at least one property includes a BLock ErrorRate (BLER), a Bit Error Rate (BER), a Received Signal StrengthIndicator (RSSI), a Common Pilot CHannel Received Signal Code Power(CPICH RSCP), and/or an SV power.

In certain embodiments the UE is further arranged to monitor informationcontained in the received radio signals. Then, the patternidentification means may be adapted to identify a pattern or patternsincluding a pattern in said information. The information may, forexample, include a neighboring cell ID list, a Base Station IdentityCode (BSIC), a Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) code or region (i.e. area)code, a Service Set IDentifier (SSID), a time and/or a date, a GPS dayof week, and/or a multipath indication.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus or system further includesprocessing means arranged to process data from the monitoring means(that data being indicative of the at least one property of the receivedradio signals) into a predetermined data format. In certain embodimentsthe UE includes this processing means, although in alternativeembodiments the processing means may be provided external to the UE,with the UE being adapted to transmit monitoring data to the processingmeans for processing.

In certain embodiments the pattern identification means is arranged tocompare the data processed into said predetermined format with datastored in a memory or database. This database may be provided in the UE,or alternatively may be provided at a different location. For example,the database may be provided in a communication system or networkarranged to communicate with the UE.

In certain embodiments the apparatus further includes data updatingmeans arranged to update the stored data using the data processed intothe predetermined format. In other words, the processed data relating toobserved signal properties could be used to modify/update the storeddata. The database can thus evolve.

The action triggered/performed in response to the identification of apattern in the observed signal property or properties may, for example,include providing from the mobile user equipment a signal for a user ofthe equipment; changing a configuration of the user equipment orexternal apparatus; switching the user equipment between one operationalmode and another; and/or switching apparatus external to the userequipment between one operational mode and another. It will beappreciated that the triggering of an action may, in certain examples,include the UE transmitting a signal (e.g. a radio signal from suitabletransmission means) for reception by other apparatus. This otherapparatus may form part of the apparatus/system as a whole. For example,in response to the UE detecting a signal pattern indicative of the userapproaching or entering home, the UE may transmit a signal to suitablyarranged reception means in the home to turn on lights, turn on heating,switch certain apparatus into standby mode etc.

In certain embodiments the UE includes the pattern identification means,although in alternative embodiments the pattern identification means maybe provided elsewhere in the system (i.e. external to the UE).Similarly, the UE may include the response means, although inalternative embodiments the response means may be external (for examplea communication network adapted to communicate with the UE may performthe action or actions in response todetection/recognition/identification of a particular pattern in receivedsignal properties.

Another aspect of the invention provides mobile user equipment (UE)including signal reception means arranged to receive radio signalshaving at least one format; monitoring means arranged to monitor atleast one property of the received radio signals; and patternidentification means arranged to identify a pattern in said monitoredproperty or properties, wherein the UE is arranged to respond to thepattern identification means identifying said pattern by performingtriggering at least one action according to the identified pattern,and/or providing an indication of a location of the UE based at least inpart on the identified pattern.

It will be appreciated that optional features of the other aspects ofthe invention described above may also be incorporated in UEs inaccordance with this third aspect, with corresponding advantage.Accordingly, a description of those features will not be repeated here.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the annexed drawings. The matters defined inthe description such as a detailed construction and elements areprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplaryembodiments of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that various changes and modifications of theembodiment described herein can be made without departing from the scopeand spirit of the invention.

It will be appreciated from the above description and from thedescription below that certain embodiments of the invention may bedescribed as location edge and zone detection methods based on radiosignals and user behavior. An area to which certain embodiments of theinvention applies is the UMTS or GSM radio interface in a mobile phone.

Certain embodiments provide the advantage that they are able to providecost-effective location information so that a user can use this forprecise reminder/alarming, position tracking and profile orconfiguration changes. This is in contrast to prior art reminder/alarmsystems in which triggering of an event reminder was based on time-lineinformation only.

Certain embodiments may also be used for asset or user trackingapplications, and provide advantages over prior art systems limited touse either outdoors, or requiring extra equipment and components, suchas Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tags for indoor use.

Certain embodiments are also able to provide the advantage of automatedprofile and/or configuration changes in response to detected signalpatterns, in contrast to prior art systems asking users to change theprofile or configuration directly and manually.

Certain embodiments, by identifying patterns involving the combinationof time information and location signal patterns, are able to increasethe accuracy and reliability of position estimation.

Embodiments may be implemented without requiring extra hardware forindoor use, and so implementation may be cost-effective and realized ina typical mobile phone. The UE may include one or more radio signalinterfaces such as WLAN, GPS or GSM/UMTS, and in certain embodiments themethod or system utilizes the best available information (e.g. can useall of the available signals/signals received) from measurements toprovide reliable location edge or zone information.

It will be appreciated that information may be derived from measurementson radio signals received by a mobile UE. A position of the mobile UEand/or a behavior of a user can be determined (at least to some degree)by analyzing the received signal patterns along with previous parameterhistory. For example, by monitoring properties of received radio signalsone can determine: If the mobile device is indoors or outdoors; if themobile device is at a user's home, office or a certain place that he/shevisited before (i.e. if the UE is at or in a “zone”); and/or if themobile is entering or moving out of the zone.

For example, in an urban home environment, whether the UE is in a livingroom or at the door, the list of IDs of surrounding BSs and the areacodes from each are usually the same (one may lose some weak BS signalsfrom time to time). However, the RSSI and the multipath propagationvalues are substantially changed when the mobile equipment (UE) movesfrom indoors to outdoors. In that case, the UE itself (or some othercomponent of a system incorporating the UE) can record the observed(i.e. measured) pattern of signals and their changes. Then, wheneverthis pattern is observed, the UE can report to an alarm or remindersystem to be linked with time-driven event trigger system.

It will be appreciated that the pattern of radio frequency (RF) signalsreceived by a UE is influenced, in the sense that it varies, by variousfactors including moving cars and other UEs camped on the base station(BS), and the certainty of triggering can be improved when thetriggering is linked with (i.e. used in conjunction with) timeinformation and Cell-ID and STD code.

Various properties of radio signals may be monitored in embodiments ofthe invention, and a variety of information may be extracted from thoseradio signals. Examples of such properties and information, which aremonitored and used in embodiments of the invention, are shown in thefollowing table. Table 1 indicates the technology (air interface and subinterface) to which each property or information that can be monitoredrelates.

TABLE 1 Air Sub Interface Interface Information of Interest ReferenceCellular GSM BLER (Block Error Rate), 3GPP BER (Bit Error Rate), RSSI(Received Signal Strength Indicator) Neighbor Cell ID List, BSIC (BaseStation Identity Code), STD Code/Region Code in CB (Cell Broadcast) UMTSCPICH RSCP (Common 25.331 (RRC), Pilot Channel, CPICH Eb/N0 25.215 (PHYMeasurements) WLAN WLAN SSID, RSSI IEEE 802.11 GPS GPS SV Power in dBm,Satellites Visible, Time & Date (GWT) AGPS GPS TOW (Time of Week), 3GPPMultipath Indicator

For mobile UE adapted for use in GSM/UMTS systems, occasionally a mobileis requested by the cellular network to monitor neighboring BS signals,especially broadcasting channels or pilots. By monitoring this type ofsignal the UE can typically determine: the ID (identity) of each BS,which is Cell-ID or BSIC; Signal Strength, typically RSSI; and/orOptional: STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) Area Code.

Depending on the location and the traffic of the BS, observations ofreceived signal properties can show certain patterns which can be usedto make a determination about the location of the UE.

In certain embodiments, the UE is operable in a WLAN. To camp on anAccess Point (AP), the mobile should typically monitor neighboring APs,monitoring the SSID contained in, and the signal strength of thereceived signal from each.

In certain embodiments, the UE is operable in at least one GNSS system,e.g. GPS. To calculate its position, the mobile (UE) tries to acquiresatellite signals and the UE returns (i.e. measures/monitors) receivedsignal power in dBm and the number of satellites currently visible (withthe corresponding satellite identity number). Additionally, if AssistedGPS (AGPS) service is provided by the cellular network, the mobile canget extra information such as a multipath indicator.

A system according to an embodiment of the present invention will now beprovided, with reference to FIG. 1. The core system has 2 parts: ameasurement part (20) and decision-making part (30). Modems (10), whichmay include Radio Frequency (RF) modem, of various radio receiversprovide useful measurement in a predefined report format. For example,the modems (10) may include a GSM/UMTS signal processing module (11) fortransmitting and receiving radio signals based on a GSM or UMTSprotocol, a WLAN signal processing module (13) for transmitting andreceiving radio signals based on a WLAN protocol, and a GPS signalprocessing module (15) for transmitting and receiving GPS signals.

The measurement part (20) includes a measurement report unit (21) whichextracts information to be used by an application processor (40) fromsignals provided from the modems (10) and provides the extractedinformation to the decision-making part (30). For example, themeasurement part (20) may extract related information disclosed in Table1 and provide the extracted information to the decision-making part(30).

The decision-making part (30) includes a pattern matching unit (31), apattern database (DB) (33), and a service handler (35). The patternmatching unit (31), by comparing the previous patterns stored in thepattern database (DB) (33), can make a decision or generate triggeringevents provided to the service handler (35). The role of the servicehandler (35) is to interface various application processors (40) orcustomers—capturing what triggering event they want, and generating thetrigger when certain criteria are satisfied.

The application processor (40) is a device implemented to execute anapplication, and executes an application based on an environment beingset by a user or a designer. The application processor (40) alsoexecutes an application based on an event generated by thedecision-making part (30). For example, the application processor (40)may include processors 41, 43, and 45 which process an application fortracking data log information, an alarm application, an application forexecuting profile or power control, etc.

To minimize the engineering work, in UMTS/GSM, rather than extractingthe measurement report from the physical layer Layer 1, measurementreports from Layer 3 (L3) such as a Radio Resource Controller (RRC) (23)are more desirable. This information should be produced for the cellularnetwork anyway, and thus does not require any extra function orprocessing in the mobile device.

Operation of the system embodying the invention will now be described inmore detail. A summary of operation is provided in the flow chart ofFIG. 2. Further information regarding the function of the servicehandler (35), sub flow of training mode or triggering criteria, are tobe found below.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of a systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.2, the system according to an embodiment of the present invention isinitiated by an operation of the service handler (35).

The application sends a request for the service to the service handler(35) and the service handler (35) determines if it is capable ofhandling the request. If capable, the service handler (35) delivers therequested trigger to the application when the criteria are satisfied.Such criteria are exchanged between the application processor (40) andthe service handler (35). In other words, in the “Service Request” step,step 100, a user defines triggering criteria and the action to beperformed when those triggering criteria are met. The system then scansthe pattern database (33) to determine if it stores any data relevant tothe specified criteria in a step 105, i.e. does the pattern DB (33)contain data enabling the triggering request to be implemented. If thepattern DB (33) does not, the system proceeds to activate a trainingmode (step 200). If the stored data enables the request to be met, thetriggering criteria and a timer are set (step 115).

Next, the system activates the measurement part (20) in step 120. Thepattern matching unit (31) monitors a measurement report from themeasurement part (20) in step 125, and determines if the measurementreport satisfies triggering criteria in step 130. If the measurementreport does not satisfy the triggering criteria, it is determined instep 135 if the set timer has expired. If the timer has expired, theservice request is rejected in step 145 and the operation is terminated.On the other hand, if the timer has not expired in step 125, thefrequency of monitoring is adjusted in step 140 and operations arerepeated from step 125. If the measurement report satisfies thetriggering criteria in step 130, the pattern matching unit (31) reportsthis fact to the service handler (35) in step 150 and updatesinformation of the pattern DB (33) in step 155.

In the service request step, step 110, at least one criterion amonglocation and time should be sent to the service handler (35) to arrangethe service. Examples are provided in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Type Sub-Type Parameters Location Zone Home, Office, Car Park,Supermarket, Indoor, Outdoor, or User-Defined Zone Edge Yes/No Time &Date Band Weekdays, Weekends, or User-Defined Date Time BandHour:Min:Sec(start)-Hour:Min:Sec(end) Credibility High, Mid(default),Low

After the service execution, the service handler (35) can ask the useror the application processor (40) about the credibility. When the useror the application is not satisfied with the result, the system can askthe user for manual training or adjust its pattern DB (33).

The training step, step 200, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, may be performed based on a mechanism described below.

There are 3 sub-modes in the training: server download, user manualtraining and automatic training. These modes are illustrated in FIG. 3.The server can produce typical information or specific information. Usermanual training mode collects the user's preferences and whenever alikely criteria happens, the system requests confirmation from the userif this instant criteria is what the user wants for a triggering event.The automatic training mode is where the preferences are pre-configuredby the system and the system requests a confirmation based on likelycriteria. However, because of the built-in reassessment timer, thesystem occasionally re-evaluates all of the credibility of theinformation parsed and stored and arranges training or updating.

For example, referring to FIG. 3, the training step, step 200, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention includes server download insteps 205-225, user manual training in steps 230-255, and automatictraining in steps 260-275. More specifically, the server may generate ageneral information file or detailed information. Thus, the systemselects criteria for evaluation in step 205, and determines if theselected criteria have high credibility in step 210. If the criteriahave a high credibility, the timer for reassessment is set in step 215.On the other hand, if the criteria do not have high credibility, thesystem proceeds to step 220.

In step 220, the system determines if it can access the server, and ifthe system can access the server, the system accesses the server todownload information and update the pattern DB (33) in step 225.

If the system cannot access the server, the system determines whether toperform manual training in step 230. If the system wants to performmanual training, the system produces a questionnaire such as currentposition, function to be used, and signal pattern to be used to beprovided to the user and sets the timer in step 235. The systemdetermines if the timer has expired in step 240. If the timer hasexpired, the system proceeds to step 260, and if the timer has notexpired the system proceeds to step 245. In step 245, the systemcollects measurement report information and determines if themeasurement report information is suspicious (i.e. not reliable) in step250. For example, the measurement report information may be a signal ora pattern measured with respect to the questionnaire provided to a user.If it is, the system requests a confirmation from the user and repliesto a response to the request in step 255, and then repeats step 240. Ifthe measurement report information is not suspicious, the systemimmediately proceeds to step 240.

In step 260, the system determines whether to perform automatictraining. If the system wants to perform automatic training, the systemproceeds to step 265. If the system does not want to perform automatictraining, the system proceeds to step 275 for setting the timer forreassessment. In step 265, the system logs the measurement report (21)until the set time has expired, and performs auto-training anddecision-making in step 270. The system then proceeds to step 275 wherethe timer is set for reassessment, and then ends the process.

The triggering criteria may be set based on the following scenario.

Table 3 lists examples of typical scenarios of interest, along withinformation regarding characteristics of signal property patternsassociated with those scenarios and information regarding how to detectand decide the triggering point (in effect, what pattern to look for inorder to trigger action etc.). The first 4 scenarios are general cases,while the others are for more specific scenarios.

TABLE 3 Location Major Signal Pattern Domain Time Domain CharacteristicOther Criteria to consider Indoor NA Low GSM RSSI Previous measurementsIf WLAN detected, strong should showed the signal power evidence ofOutdoor if Low GPS dBm (−160) previous measurement exists Outdoor NAHigh GSM RSSI Previous measurements If WLAN detected, low should showedthe signal power evidence of Indoor if High GPS dBm (−140) previousmeasurement exists Entering into a NA Sequential signal variation NAbuilding from Outdoor to Indoor Leaving a NA Sequential signal variationNA building from Indoor to Outdoor Home Repeats Night Low GSM RSSI Doesit match with the If WLAN detected, strong BSIC (neighbor cell list)signal power or SSID? Low GPS dBm (−160) Leaving home Repeats Sequentialsignal variation Does it match with the Morning from Indoor to OutdoorBSIC (neighbor cell list) or SSID? Moving in Repeats Sequential signalvariation Does it match with the home Evening or from Outdoor to IndoorBSIC (neighbor cell list) afternoon or SSID? Office Repeats Low GSM RSSIDoes it match with the Weekday If WLAN detected, strong BSIC (neighborcell list) 9 am-5 pm signal power or SSID? Low GPS dBm (−160) Enteringthe Repeats Sequential signal variation Does it match with the officeWeekday from Outdoor to Indoor BSIC (neighbor cell list) Morning orSSID? Leaving Office Repeats Sequential signal variation Does it matchwith the Weekday from Indoor to Outdoor BSIC (neighbor cell list)Afternoon or SSID? Visited Occasional Low GSM RSSI Does it match withthe Supermarket 9 am-11 pm If WLAN detected, strong BSIC (neighbor celllist) (once a week) signal power or SSID? Low GPS dBm (−160)Double-check with the map and the user route tracking Visited Car NAHigh GSM RSSI Does it match with the Park If WLAN detected, low BSIC(neighbor cell list) (Open Sky) signal power or SSID? High GPS dBm(−140) Double-check with the map and the user route tracking Visited CarNA Low GSM RSSI Does it match with the Park If WLAN detected, strongBSIC(neighbor cell list) (Basement) signal power or SSID? Low GPS dBm(−160) Double-check with the map and the user route tracking Car NA HighGPS dBm (−140) Double-check with the map and the user route tracking

These patterns can also be used for automatic training in addition tothe triggering decision-making.

Of course, the user can define other scenarios by manual configurations.To enhance the accuracy of detection or decision-making, more parameterscan be added for assessments.

After setting up the triggering criteria and the timer, the systemproceeds to activate measurement devices if they have not already beenactivated. These devices are used to monitor received signal properties.They produce measurement reports (data). In the next step, themeasurement reports are monitored, and then a determination is made asto whether the triggering criteria have been met, that is, has thedefined pattern been observed. If the criteria have not been met, adetermination is made as to whether the timer has expired, that is, hasa predetermined time elapsed. If not, the frequency of monitoring may beadjusted, and monitoring continues. If the timer has expired the requestis rejected. If the measurement report indicates that the triggeringcriteria have been met, this is reported to the service handler (35) forappropriate action (e.g. as defined by the user in the initial request)and the pattern database may be updated.

With regard to applications, methods embodying the invention may, forexample, be used as follows:

2D Alarm or Reminder System: certain prior art alarm or task reminderapplications relied solely on time triggering. For example, providing analarm in accordance with an instruction such as “wake me up at 6 AMexcept for on Saturday & Sunday”. By adding location information, alarmor reminder systems embodying the invention can provide moresophisticated arrangements. Examples of alarms/reminder scenarios whichmay be implemented by embodiments of the invention are:

-   -   Remind me when I leaving the home for the office in the morning        (bills to pay, meeting schedule of the day, people to call while        driving);    -   Remind me when I approach the super market on weekends (shopping        list); and/or    -   Activate the default wake-up alarm only when I was sleeping at        home and weekdays.

Automatic Position Tracking functions may be provided by methods andsystems embodying the invention. For example:

Employee Time Punching: when the user enters in the office, this can bedetermined from patterns in the monitored RF signals and a trigger eventmay be sent to a server to record the arrival time and the departuretime of the employee;

GPS Power Saving in 24 hour/7 days tracking: The system can beconfigured to operate the built-in GPS only in outdoor locations bymonitoring the UMTS or GSM signal strength, which is given by therequest from the cellular network. Rather than operating solely on theoccasional measurement of the GPS alone, this system can provide moreeffective way of understanding the environment where the mobile islocated.

Advertisement: The operator or sales promoter can provide customizedadvertisement to the user by knowing the user situation or position. Forexample, the mobile device may determine (i.e. determine from patternsin received signal properties or contained information) that the user isat home, and can report that fact to a server. In that case, a serviceprovider may then send a home-goods advertisement to the UE. This mayrequire an agreement between the service provider and the user inadvance.

Embodiments also provide the ability to perform automatic profile orconfiguration changes:

Automatic and Optimal Bearer Selection: Certain prior art systems todayrequire the user's manual selection of bearer selection betweenWLAN-VoIP and UMTS Voice Call. In contrast, a system embodying theinvention can inform the UE what is the most appropriate bearer toselect (based on the observed signal property pattern(s)).

Embodiments may provide advantages in the field of Home Automation: Incertain embodiments all phone information may be displayed on a TVscreen while the user is watching the TV. As soon as the person entersinto the home with WLAN AP active, the system detects this from theassociated pattern of received signal properties, and automaticallyturns its profile to home and activates the TV via WLAN.

Examples of possible applications of embodiments of the inventiontherefore include:

Applications:

1) Alarm or Reminder Applications that combine timing and locationinformation (derived from received signal patterns) for triggeringpurposes;

2) Employee Time Punching Applications;

3) GPS power Saving using GSM/UMTS/WLAN signal measurements; and/or

4) Automatic profile switching at home for a joint service with a TV.

Examples of possible system implementations embodying the inventioninclude:

1) Methods that extract radio signal patterns to build user locationprofiles—GSM/UMTS: Layer 3 Link Measurement Report, Neighbor Cell RSSIMeasurements; WLAN: SSID & Signal Power; and/or GPS & AGPS: Number ofSV, Acquisition Sensitivity in dBm;

2) Automatic training mode to accumulate user location profiles; and/or

3) Triggering methods by pattern matching in time-domain and in radiosignal pattern.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to acertain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A method of using radio signals transmitted for reception by a mobileUser Equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, by the mobile UE,radio signals having at least one format; monitoring, by the mobile UE,at least one property of the received radio signals; determining alocation of the mobile UE based at least in part on said at least oneproperty of the received radio signals; and performing, in response todetermining the location of the mobile UE, at least one of: switching anexternal apparatus located at the location of the mobile UE betweendifferent operational modes; and providing the external apparatuslocated at the location of the mobile UE with information of the mobileUE.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a patternin said at least one property, and determining the location of themobile UE based at least in part on the identified pattern.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is a television. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the information of the mobile UE isdisplayed on a screen of the mobile UE.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the received radio signals comprise radio signals transmittedfrom at least one transmitter located at a terrestrial location.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the received radio signals comprise signalstransmitted from at least one Space Vehicle (SV).
 7. The method of claim2, wherein said pattern comprises at least one of a temporal pattern, achronological pattern, a static pattern, an instantaneous pattern, and adynamic pattern.
 8. The method of claim 2, wherein said patterncomprises a change in at least one monitored property of at least onereceived radio signal.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein said patterncomprises an instantaneous combination of monitored properties of aplurality of different received radio signals.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein said at least one property comprises a received signalstrength or power of a received radio signal.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one property comprises at least one of a BLockError Rate (BLER), a Bit Error Rate (BER), a Received Signal StrengthIndicator (RSSI), a Common Pilot CHannel Received Signal Code Power(CPICH RSCP), and a Space Vehicle (SV) power.
 12. The method of claim 2,further comprising monitoring, by the mobile UE, information included inthe received radio signals.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein saididentified pattern comprises a pattern in said information included inthe received radio signals.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein saidinformation included in the received radio signals comprises at leastone of a neighboring cell ID list, a Base Station Identity Code (BSIC),a Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) code or region or area code, a ServiceSet IDentifier (SSID), a time and/or a date, a Global Positioning System(GPS) time of week, and a multipath indication.
 15. The method of claim2, wherein said identifying comprises processing results of saidmonitoring into a data format and comparing the results in said formatwith data stored in a memory.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising using said results in said format to update the data.
 17. Amobile User Equipment (UE) for using radio signals transmitted forreception by the mobile UE, the mobile UE comprising: a receiver forreceiving radio signals having at least one format; and a monitoringpart for monitoring at least one property of the received radio signals,wherein the mobile UE is configured to determine a location of themobile UE based at least in part on said at least one property of thereceived radio signals, and to switch an external apparatus located atthe location of the mobile UE between different operational modes. 18.The mobile UE of claim 17, wherein the mobile UE further comprises apattern identifier for identifying a pattern in said at least oneproperty, and the location of the mobile UE is determined based at leastin part on the identified pattern.
 19. The mobile UE of claim 17,wherein the external apparatus is a television.
 20. A mobile UserEquipment (UE) for using radio signals transmitted for reception by themobile UE, the mobile UE comprising: a receiver for receiving radiosignals having at least one format; a monitoring part for monitoring atleast one property of the received radio signals, wherein the mobile UEis configured to determine a location of the mobile UE based on said atleast one property of the received radio signals, and to provide theexternal apparatus located at the location of the mobile UE withinformation of the mobile UE.
 21. The mobile UE of claim 20, wherein themobile UE further comprises a pattern identifier for identifying apattern in said at least one property, and the location of the mobile UEis determined based at least in part on the identified pattern.
 22. Themobile UE of claim 20, wherein the external apparatus is a television.23. The mobile UE of claim 20, wherein the information of the mobile UEis displayed on a screen of the mobile UE.